Avoid Alzheimers... eat less

Debilitating brain disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases could be prevented by simply eating less, a British neuroscientist has claimed.

Dr Mark Mattson, leading a scientific team in the US, found that rats fed on a low calorie diet are less affected by brain-destroying chemicals than those eating normally.

It's well known that high food intake increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, but Mattson said the findings are "the first to suggest that reduced calorie intake also may help shield the brain".

In the study, reported in this month's issue of the Annals of Neurology, one group of rats was fed 30% less food than the control group, and both were then treated with two different brain toxins.

One toxin simulates brain damage found in people with Alzheimer's disease and those who've suffered a stroke. The other mimics the brain damage caused by Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases.

In both cases, the rats on the low-cal diet suffered much less brain damage, with fewer memory and motor skill deficits compared with that suffered by rats on a normal diet.

Dr Arthur Everitt, founder of the Australian Association of Gerentology, said the findings are consistent with previous studies showing the health benefits of caloric restriction. "It's crazy for people to allow themselves to become overweight," he said.

Dr Mattson went so far as to suggest that people aged between 20 and 50 should eat only 1800-2200 calories (7560-9240 kilojoules) per day.

"That's not starvation" he said, "but it is way lower than the average calorie intake".